S 5964: Provides standards for the number of water closets in certain areas of public assembly; increases the required number of water closets for women; sets deadlines for compliance.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5964 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to standards for the number of water closets in certain places of public assembly and increases the number of water closets for women The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 378-a 2 to read as follows: 3 § 378-a. Standards for water closets in certain places of public 4 assembly. 1. Notwithstanding any rule, regulation or law to the contra- 5 ry, standards for water closets in the buildings containing areas of 6 public assembly enumerated in this section shall be as stated in this 7 section. 8 2. The provisions of this section shall apply to any arena, auditori- 9 um, or building where alcoholic beverages are sold and consumed, meeting 10 hall, motion picture theatre, public dance hall, stadium, or theatre in 11 the following buildings or spaces: 12 a. new buildings or spaces; 13 b. existing buildings or spaces that are altered where the cost of 14 making alterations in any twelve-month period shall exceed thirty 15 percent of the value of the building or space; and 16 c. existing buildings or spaces that are altered where the alteration 17 of the building or space results in a change in the occupancy group 18 classification of the building or space under the provisions of the 19 building codes applicable in the state of New York. 20 3. By January first, two thousand twenty-seven, any arena, auditorium, 21 or building where alcoholic beverages are sold and consumed, meeting 22 hall, motion picture theatre, public dance hall, stadium, or theatre not 23 subject to subdivision two of this section shall re-designate existing EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10554-01-5 
 S. 5964 2 1 bathrooms for the use by persons of one sex to the other, if more than 2 two bathrooms exist in such facility, and if doing so would produce a 3 ratio of water closets designated for the use of women and men that more 4 closely approximates the ratio of women's to men's water closets 5 required under subdivision four of this section. 6 4. a. The minimum requirement for the number of water closets pursuant 7 to this section for any arena, auditorium, or building where alcoholic 8 beverages are sold and consumed, meeting hall, motion picture theatre, 9 public dance hall, stadium, or theatre shall be as listed in Table 1. 10 TABLE 1 11 Number of Persons Number of Water Closets Number of Water Closets 12 for Men for Women 13 1-150 1 2 14 151-300 2 4 15 301-450 3 6 16 For occupancy by more than four hundred fifty persons, there shall be 17 one water closet for men and two water closets for women for each addi- 18 tional three hundred persons. The population used to determine the 19 number of water closets required shall be based on the number of people 20 to occupy the space; provided, however, that in no case shall the popu- 21 lation be deemed less than that determined by allowing one hundred twen- 22 ty-five square feet of floor area per person. 23 b. Urinals may be provided in bathrooms in lieu of water closets but 24 the number shall not exceed fifty percent of the required number of 25 sanitary fixtures. 26 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 27 have become a law. Effective immediately the addition, amendment and/or 28 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of 29 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or before 30 such date.